Collective leadership for high-quality careers support

Category Archives: Schools

A new report on youth unemployment titled ‘Precarious Futures’ by the UKCES confirms our concerns about labour market opportunities for future generations. TUC Secretary General, Frances O’Grady said recently that job prospects for many young people have deteriorated alarmingly.

Although improving, we know that only one in four employers offer work experience placements to young people in education and just 15% of employers have or offer apprenticeships to young people.

Structural changes in the labour market mean that young people are competing with older and more experienced workers, who have been forced to trade down for the lower and mid level jobs that young people would normally take.

The Careers Alliance has launched a #futuretalent campaign backed by over 50 employers, professional bodies and education organisations, including Atkins, Capgemini, Deloitte, National Grid, Siemens, Wates, the ACCA, the Bar Council, the Chartered Management Institute, the ICAEW, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Federation for Industry Sector Skills & Standards, Creative & Cultural Skills, and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation amongst many others.

It is not enough for employers to just offer more work opportunities for young people now. The Royal Academy of Engineering’s report on “Jobs and Growth” forecasts that the UK economy will require 830,000 professional scientists, engineers and technologists over the next decade alone. There is a long term skills issue that must be addressed by bringing education and training and the labour market closer together.

This is why employers and the Careers Alliance are calling for collaborative action between professional careers advisers, employers and schools and colleges in providing careers advice and guidance to young people by:

Highlighting the importance of careers education and guidance in schools and colleges.

Framing employer contributions as part of professionally managed careers programmes and not as ad hoc initiatives.

Affirming that, working together within a planned careers programme, employers and career professionals can provide far more effective help to young people than either could do on their own.

The #futuretalent campaign challenges current Government policies by highlighting the importance of collaborative action in career guidance. This contrasts with the Government’s latest Statutory Guidance to schools which has emphasised contributions from employers and people in jobs to inspire and motivate young people in schools and colleges about the world of work, but makes little reference to the role of careers advisers, nor explains how such links between employers and schools and colleges can best be brokered.

The Careers Alliance, which is made up of more than twenty of the country’s largest skills and education organisations, reports that the inputs from employers and careers advisers need to be integrated into well-planned careers programmes in schools.

Commenting on the campaign, Dame Ruth Silver, Chair of the Careers Alliance, said: ‘There remains a disconnect between education and the world of work. Our joint call with employers shows that collaborative action is the best solution; employers say they can’t do it all on their own. Employers endorse this call by the Careers Alliance for partnership working to get careers guidance in schools and colleges right.’

Toby Peyton-Jones, Director of Human Resources at Siemens plc said: ‘Siemens would like to fully endorse the call for collaborative action by the Careers Sector Stakeholders Alliance by adding our support for driving structured and sustained collaboration between schools and employers in preparing young people for the world of work.’

Steve Holliday, CEO at National Grid said: ‘We know employers can play a more active role educating school children about the world of work. We would like to add our support to the Careers Alliance statement about improving the links between employers, schools and career advisory services to lead to better informed young people considering their career options.’

Employers say partnership working the only way to get careers guidance in schools and colleges right

A joint statement by the Careers Alliance is published today with the support of a wide range of employers and sector bodies, including Atkins, Capgemini, Deloitte, National Grid, Siemens, Wates, the ACCA, the Bar Council, the Chartered Management Institute, the ICAEW, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Federation for Industry Sector Skills & Standards, Creative & Cultural Skills, and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation amongst many others.

It calls for collaborative action between professional careers advisers, employers and schools and colleges in providing careers advice and guidance to young people by:

Highlighting the importance of careers education and guidance in schools and colleges.

Framing employer contributions as part of professionally managed careers programmes and not as ad hoc initiatives.

Affirming that, working together within a planned careers programme, employers and career professionals can provide far more effective help to young people than either could do on their own.

Employers, professional bodies and Sector Skills Councils have challenged Government policies by supporting the Careers Alliance statement. This contrasts with the Government’s latest Statutory Guidance to schools which has emphasised contributions from employers and people in jobs to inspire and motivate young people in schools and colleges about the world of work, but makes little reference to the role of careers advisers, nor explains how such links between employers and schools and colleges can best be brokered.

Getting the balance right beyond inspiration
Commenting on the campaign, Dame Ruth Silver, Chair of the Careers Alliance, said: ‘There remains a disconnect between education and the world of work. Our joint call with employers shows that collaborative action is the best solution; employers say they can’t do it all on their own. Employers endorse this call by the Careers Alliance for partnership working to get careers guidance in schools and colleges right.’

Professor Tony Watts, a leading international expert on career guidance said: ‘If employer contributions are to be effective, they require logistical support, curriculum space, and receptive schools and young people. They also need to be an integral part of well-planned careers programmes.’

Commenting on the Careers Alliance statement, Dr Tessa Stone, CEO of Brightside and Chair of the Bridge Group, said: ‘The employers we work with are actively engaged in working with schools and colleges. They value the role of professional careers advisers in managing careers education and guidance programmes within schools which incorporate and support the contributions of employers and people at work, so enhancing their value and ensuring their effectiveness.’

The Careers Alliance report concludes that employers (and people at work) and careers advisers both have distinctive and complementary contributions to make to the career development and career planning of young people. Working together, within a planned programme of careers education and guidance, they can provide far more effective help to young people than either could do on their own.

Partnerships needed to get careers guidance in schools and collegesworking

More than ‘inspiration’ needed
Following the recent Ofsted report on careers guidance in schools which found that ‘…links with employers were the weakest aspect of career guidance in the 60 schools visited’, this new report from the Careers Alliance highlights the importance of collaboration between professional careers advisers, employers and schools and colleges in providing careers advice and guidance to young people.

This call for collaborative action is made by the Careers Alliance, which is made up of more than twenty of the country’s largest skills and education organisations.

It comes at a time when the Government’s recent Inspiration Vision Statement alongside its Careers Guidance Action Plan have placed emphasis on contributions from employers and people in jobs to inspire and motivate young people in schools and colleges about the world of work, but make little reference to the role of careers advisers, nor explain how such links between employers and schools and colleges can best be brokered.

More is needed than ‘inspiring young people’. Careers Alliance Convenor, Keith Herrmann, said: ‘Young people in schools and colleges need professional support to help them make informed choices about subjects to study, qualification pathways and routes into employment. Professional careers advisers have a crucial role in working with schools and employers to provide brokerage, manage careers programmes and provide professional career guidance.’

The Careers Alliance paper notes that Government policy statements have set up an unhelpful dichotomy between the career support provided by careers advisers and the career learning opportunities that are provided by interactions with employers. In contrast, the report explains how the roles of employers and professional careers advisers are distinctive and complementary.

Ongoing disconnect between employers and schools
Commenting on the report, Dame Ruth Silver, Chair of the Careers Alliance, said: ‘There remains a disconnect between education and the world of work. But it is unhelpful for Ministers to suggest that employers can do it all. We ask employer bodies to endorse this call by the Careers Alliance for partnership working to get careers guidance in schools and colleges right.’

Sorting out career guidance in schools and colleges is clearly an urgent issue. Tony Moloney, Head of UK Education & Skills at National Grid, said: ‘Employers and working people can help young people by providing information, inspiration and advice about the world of work. Employers can provide work placements, visits, inspiring talks and can help with CV writing workshops, mock interviews and enterprise programmes.’

Getting the balance right
Professor Tony Watts, a leading international expert on career guidance and CSSA adviser, said: ‘If employer contributions are to be effective, they require logistical support, curriculum space, and receptive schools and young people. They also need to be an integral part of well-planned careers programmes.’

Commenting on the report, Dr Tessa Stone, CEO of Brightside and Chair of the Bridge Group, said: ‘We welcome this report from the Careers Alliance as it clearly spells out the distinctive contributions of employers and careers advisers. The employers we work with are actively engaged in working with schools and colleges. They value the role of professional careers advisers in managing careers education and guidance programmes within schools which incorporate and support the contributions of employers and people at work, so enhancing their value and ensuring their effectiveness.’

The Careers Alliance report concludes that employers (and people at work) and careers advisers both have distinctive and complementary contributions to make to the career development and career planning of young people. Working together, within a planned programme of careers education and guidance, they can provide far more effective help to young people than either could do on their own.

Context
Leading UK employers, unions, and skills and education providers are calling for more collaboration between schools, employers and careers advisers to give better careers advice to young people. Too often, young people are bombarded by a hoard of information online and from employers, from their peers and from their school or college.

Teachers can’t be expected to do it alone, nor should employers be expected to shoulder the sole responsibility. Employers working with schools are crucial to providing opportunities for students to see what working life is like. Professional careers advisers need to work with schools and employers to help young people learn about their options, such as apprenticeships and work experience.

The Government has said a lot about careers advice lately. Stubbornly high youth unemployment at around 1 million continues to be a problem despite numerous Government schemes. A call by the British Chambers of Commerce for the Chancellor, George Osborne, to put young people at the heart of the next budget highlights the importance of getting young people into work.

Besides improving youth employment, preparing young people for the world of work is crucial. The findings of a City & Guilds survey of 1,000 employers shows that almost 80% of employers think work experience is essential to ensuring young people are ready for work, yet 60% of employers remain uncertain on how to deliver the most effective work experience placements and would welcome guidelines and support.

The Careers Alliance welcomes the recently launched UKCES and CIPD employer guides on making work experience work for young people and employers. These reports offer practical advice to employers about offering high-quality work experience and encourage more employers to get involved. Work experience opportunities can help young people learn about the world of work, open their eyes to the range and variety of career opportunities open to them, and connect their learning at school or college to the world of work.

High-quality Career Guidance for Enhancing Social Mobility:a submission to the Milburn Review of Social Mobility and Child Poverty

The Coalition Government’s strategy on social mobility recognises the value and contribution of careers education and guidance. Aside from a role for government, it states that “we can all make a difference to raising aspirations and helping people to make informed choices about jobs and careers”.

This submission sets out our concerns about the role of careers education, information, advice and guidance in improving social mobility. It summarises the key issues facing the careers sector in England, the role of careers professionals in helping people make informed choices, and the impact this has on the pathways and routes that are open to them. Social mobility needs to translate into opportunities for young people and adults, and resonates with the need to invest in technical and higher-level skills and to ensure pathways for lifelong learning and enhanced career adaptability8. For the purposes of brevity, however, the note focuses mainly on interventions for young people.

Budget Allocations and Arrangements for Careers Services for Young people within the new All-age Careers Service in England

At the start of the Coalition Government there was initially significant uncertainty about careers policy in England. The parties entering into Coalition Government had promised much in their manifestos, and notwithstanding much promise about prioritising social mobility, the issue of careers education and IAG policy remained uncertain.

This Briefing Note sets out the concerns of the then UK Careers Sector Strategic Forum (now called the Careers Alliance) about the funding and transition arrangements for career information, advice and guidance (IAG) for young people in England and about the responsibilities of schools.

The note outlines concerns about the lack of appropriate funding and transition arrangements, and the lack of certainty of responsibility and resource allocation to schools and local authorities.

These concerns were highlighted at a time when the then Minister for Skills, John Hayes had made a widely-welcomed speech at the Institute of Career Guidance conference in Belfast in October, where he had reaffirmed that the heart of the new arrangements for young people must be close partnerships between schools and expert, independent advisers. Such partnerships have been shown by international research to be the strongest model of careers provision for young people. They are based on, in essence, schools being responsible for careers education, and an external service being responsible for providing career guidance. It is important that both of these elements be secured in the new legislation.